Spurs have been linked with the likes of Adrien Rabiot and Fabian Delph in recent times, but this news seems to plunge any deals for the pair into doubt.

Rabiot and Delph had reportedly topped Tottenham's wish list, but the club are said to be happier bringing them in this summer rather than over the coming weeks.

The Lilywhites expect that Delph will be available on a free in six months' time and they would rather secure his signature then than have to pay a fee to get him now.

It is a risk, especially given the fact that Nabil Bentaleb is off to the African Cup of Nations for a month, but Pochettino is apparently willing to give his peripheral players one more chance.

Benjamin Stambouli, Mousa Dembele and Paulinho have all been consigned to rotational roles this season, but they are set to be handed the opportunity to impress in the starting line-up in the coming weeks.

John Verrall

John is a sports journalism graduate from Staffordshire University. He is a huge football fan and a minute-by-minute writer for UEFA.com, as well as being a freelance writer for Sports New Media. John has also seen his work been published by the likes of The Guardian, World Soccer and Shoot Magazine over the course of his bourgeoning journalism career so far. He has a particular expertise in all things to do with the Football League – and is a passionate Peterborough United fan.